Statue of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Truro Cathedral, England - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, armed with letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I, set sail for North America ostensibly to claim new land for England. Eventually, four of Gilbert’s five ships (one had to return to England due to an outbreak of disease) sailed into St. John’s harbor. In a brief ceremony held on the 5th of August, Sir Humphrey Gilbert officially took possession of the land and established a few new laws and a tax. One of these laws prohibited disrespecting the Queen and was punishable by having one’s ears cut off.

It’s difficult to believe that Gilbert was taken seriously by the French, Portuguese and Spanish fishermen who were present, especially since Gilbert didn’t stick around for long and left no contingent of men behind to enforce any adherence to the new order. Within a month, Gilbert’s expedition departed to seek more desirable land to claim.

It wasn’t long before they encountered some bad weather and fog. The largest ship in the fleet, the “Delight,” got caught on some rocks and was lost with all hands. Gilbert reluctantly agreed to return to England with his remaining two vessels (the "Swallow" had already gone back with all those who were sick). But more disaster lay ahead. In a storm off the Azores, Gilbert’s ship, the “Squirrel,” started taking in water and began to sink. The other vessel (the "Golden Hind") drew near but could do nothing to help. The crew of this ship saw Gilbert sitting in the stern of the “Squirrel” apparently reading a book and crying out ‘We are as neare to Heaven by sea as by land.’ The “Squirrel” was eventually lost and Sir Humphrey Gilbert was seen no more.

All this apparent futility notwithstanding, Newfoundland did become a colony of Great Britain, the first in North America. And although St. John’s changed hands several times during the Seven Years’ War and parts of Newfoundland were claimed by France, it nevertheless remained a British colony until 1949 when it became a province of Canada.

In 1933, Newfoundland issued a set of stamps commemorating the 350th anniversary of Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s annexation effort. These show various scenes of the life and times of Sir Humphrey and includes one with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. (One even shows Gilbert sitting in the stern of the “Squirrel” reading a book with the inscription “we are as near to heaven by sea as by land.”) The highest value in the set shows the statue of Sir Humphrey Gilbert at Truro.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert was the half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh who also dabbled in writing, poetry, politics and exploring. His attempts at colonization were more associated with Roanoke in Virginia and, like his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh met with an untimely death when he was beheaded in 1618.

Truro Cathedral is relatively new: completed in 1910 in a Gothic Revival style and designed by architect John Loughborough Pearson. Its exterior is adorned with many statues of various Kings and other religious leaders and notables associated with the southwest of England including our hero, Sir Humphrey Gilbert.

Stamp Issuing Country: Newfoundland Date of Issue: 3-Aug-1933 Denomination: 32c Color: gray Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/28/2022 MoreOutdoor visited it